Pinocchio

This article is about the original Carlo Collodi fictional character. For derivative works and other uses, see Pinocchio (disambiguation).
Pinocchio
The Adventures of Pinocchio character

Original art by Enrico Mazzanti
First appearance The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883)
Created by Carlo Collodi
Information
Species Puppet
Gender Male
Family
Nationality Italian

Pinocchio (/pɪˈnoʊkioʊ/;[1] Italian: [piˈnɔkkjo]), the name a variant of common pinolo ("pine seed"), is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi.[2][3] Carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a village near Florence, he was created as a wooden puppet but dreamed of becoming a real boy. He lies often.[4]

Pinocchio is a cultural icon. As one of the most reimagined characters in children's literature, his story has been adapted into other media.[5]

Fictional character biography

Pinocchio, by Carlo Chiostri (1901)

Pinocchio's characterization varies across interpretations, but some aspects of his character are consistent across all adaptations. He is consistently shown to be a creation as a puppet by Geppetto, and the size of his nose changing due to his lies or stress.[6]

Pinocchio is known for having a short nose that becomes longer when he is under stress (chapter 3), especially while lying. In the original tale, Collodi describes him as a "rascal," "imp," "scapegrace," "disgrace," "ragamuffin," and "confirmed rogue," with even his father, carpenter Geppetto, referring to him as a "wretched boy." Upon being born, Pinocchio immediately laughs derisively in his creator's face, whereupon he steals the old man's wig.

Pinocchio's bad behavior, rather than being charming or endearing, is meant to serve as a warning. Collodi originally intended the story, which was first published in 1881, to be a tragedy. It concluded with the puppet’s execution. Pinocchio’s enemies, the Fox and the Cat, bind his arms, pass a noose around his throat, and hang him from the branch of an oak tree.[7]

a tempestuous northerly wind began to blow and roar angrily, and it beat the poor puppet from side to side, making him swing violently, like the clatter of a bell ringing for a wedding. And the swinging gave him atrocious spasms...His breath failed him and he could say no more. He shut his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched his legs, gave a long shudder, and hung stiff and insensible.

Clothing and character

Pinocchio is a wooden marionette (a puppet that is manipulated with wires) and not a hand puppet (directly controlled from inside by the puppeteer's hand). But the piece of wood from which he is derived is animated, and so Pinocchio moves independently. Basically good, he often gets carried away by bad company and is prone to lying. His nose will become longer and longer once he starts lying to others.[3] Because of these characteristics he often finds himself in trouble, from which, however, he always manages to get out. Pinocchio undergoes transformations during the novel: he promises The Fairy with Turquoise Hair to become a real boy, flees with Candlewick to the Land of Toys, becomes a donkey, joins a circus, and becomes a puppet again. In the last chapter, out of the mouth of The Terrible Dogfish with Geppetto, finally stops being a puppet and becomes a real boy (thanks to the intervention of the Fairy in a dream).

In the novel, Pinocchio is often depicted with a pointy hat, a jacket and a pair of colored, knee-length pants. In the Disney version, the appearance is very different, and the character is dressed in Tyrolean style, with Lederhosen and a hat with a feather.

The nose

Pinocchio's nose is his best-known characteristic. It grows in length when he tells a lie: this appears in chapter XVI. It should be noted how Collodi himself, in Note gaie claims how "to hide the truth of a speculum animae (mirror of the soul) face [ ... ] is added to the true nose another papier-mache nose". There is an inconsistency, however, because his nose grows when it is first carved by Geppetto, without Pinocchio ever lying.

The nose only appears a couple of times in the story, but it reveals the Blue Fairy's power over Pinocchio when he acts disobediently. After struggling and weeping over his deformed nose, the Blue Fairy summons woodpeckers to peck it back to normal.

Literary analysis

Some literary analysts have described Pinocchio as an epic hero. Like many Western literary heroes, such as Odysseus, Pinocchio descends into hell; he also experiences rebirth through metamorphosis, a common motif in fantasy literature.[8]

Throughout the work, Collodi chastises Pinocchio for his lack of moral fiber and his persistent rejection of responsibility and desire for fun. Since Collodi frequently wrote in support of Italian Unification and the new state that was to arise from it, the book may be seen as having been influential in nation-building.[9] Before writing Pinocchio, Collodi had written a series of pedagogic story books for use in the new nation's elementary schools. The series was called Il viaggio per l'Italia di Giannettino ("Little Johnny's voyage through Italy").[10]

The structure of the story of Pinocchio follows that of the folk-tales of peasants who venture out into the world but are naively unprepared for what they find, and get into ridiculous situations.[11] At the time of the writing of the book, this was a serious problem, arising partly from the industrialization of Italy, which led to a growing need for reliable labour in the cities; the problem was exacerbated by similar, more or less simultaneous, demands for labour in the industrialization of other countries. One major effect was the emigration of much of the Italian peasantry to cities and to foreign countries such as the United States.

The main imperatives demanded of Pinocchio are to work, be good, and study. And in the end Pinocchio's willingness to provide for his father and devote himself to these things transforms him into a real boy with modern comforts.[8]

Media portrayals

Earliest adaptations

Disney's version

Pinocchio as seen in Walt Disney's Pinocchio

When The Walt Disney Company was developing the story for their film version of Pinocchio (1940) they intended to keep the obnoxious aspects from the original character, but Walt Disney himself felt that this made the character too unlikable, so alterations were made to incorporate traits of mischief and innocence to make Pinocchio more likable. Pinocchio was voiced by Dickie Jones. Today, the film is considered the finest Disney feature ever made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time, with a rare 100% rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes. In the video game adaptation of the film, Pinocchio lives out (mostly) the same role as the film, traveling through the world filled with temptations and battling various forces. This incarnation later appeared in Who Framed Roger Rabbit voiced by Peter Westy, Disney's House of Mouse voiced by Michael Welch, and Kingdom Hearts voiced by Seth Adkins. Elijah Wood portrayed the real-boy version of Pinocchio in the live-action segments for the updated Jiminy Cricket educational serials "I'm No Fool" and "You" in addition to the new shorts of "I'm No Fool" in the early 1990s. Pinocchio makes also cameo appearances in Aladdin, Teacher's Pet and Tangled.[12] In the video game Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion Pinocchio is featured as one of the many iconic Disney characters kidnapped by the evil witch Mizrabel in her plot to dominate their world; he is imprisoned alongside Genie in the Cave of Wonders until eventually being rescued by Mickey Mouse.

Later 20th-century adaptations

Pinocchio as portrayed in Giuliano Cencis' Un burattino di nome Pinocchio
Glasgow. Graffiti of Pinocchio. 274 Saracen Street

21st-century adaptations

A giant statue of Pinocchio in the park Parco di Pinocchio, Collodi.
"Una probabile morte di Pinocchio", Walther Jervolino, oil on canvas

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pinocchio.

References

  1. ↑ "Oxford Learner's Dictionaries | Find the meanings, definitions, pictures, pronunciation of words at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". Oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com. 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  2. ↑ Joy Lo Dico. "Classics corner: Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi | Culture". The Guardian. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  3. 1 2 jkk, kkk (2015-02-06). "What the Original "Pinocchio" Really Says About Lying". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  4. ↑ Reardon, Sara (2013-06-07). "Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio: Why is the original Pinocchio subjected to such sadistic treatment?". Slate.com. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  5. ↑ "Pinocchio: Carlo Collodi - Children's Literature Review". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  6. ↑ Linda Falcone. Italian, It's All Greek to Me: Everything You Don't Know About Italian ... Retrieved 2013-06-17.
  7. ↑ Rich, Nathaniel (2011-10-24). "Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio: Why is the original Pinocchio subjected to such sadistic treatment?". Slate.com. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  8. 1 2 Morrissey, Thomas J., and Richard Wunderlich. "Death and Rebirth in Pinocchio." Children's Literature 11 (1983): 64–75.
  9. ↑ Michelle, Jennifer (13 October 2013). "History of Children's Literature: Politics and Pinocchio". Books Tell You Why. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  10. ↑ Gaetana Marrone; Paolo Puppa (26 December 2006). Encyclopedia of Italian Literary Studies. Routledge. pp. 485–. ISBN 978-1-135-45530-9.
  11. ↑ Collodi, Carlo (1996). "Introduction". In Zipes, Jack. Pinocchio. Penguin Books. pp. xiii–xv.
  12. ↑ "Video Interview with TANGLED Directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard". Collider. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Andy Ivine: Bio, Chapter 1". Andyirvine.com. 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  14. ↑ "Robert Downey Jr. To Play Both Pinocchio And Geppetto In Ben Stiller's 'Pinocchio'". Collider. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  15. ↑ London, Thomas (2015-07-01). Splintered (1 ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 9781515123569.
  16. ↑ "Pinocchio's Luxury Villa For Sale In Tuscany". Lionard. Retrieved 2015-10-01.
  17. ↑ McMillan, Graeme (2014-10-22). "What's Revealed in the Leaked 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Trailer?". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
  18. ↑ West, Rebecca (2002). "The Persistent Puppet: Pinocchio's Heirs in Contemporary Fiction and Film". University of Chicago. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
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